Unipd research: glass irradiated with X-rays becomes more resistant
10.12.2024
A new study on glass published in the journal "Reports on Progress in Physics" sheds light on the interaction between amorphous materials and X-ray radiation.
The study, developed as part of a collaboration between the Disordered Systems group of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Padua and the team at the German synchrotron PETRA III at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), revealed how glasses prepared by different methods respond to X-ray irradiation.
In particular, the simultaneous study of structural, dynamic, and thermodynamic properties shows how X-rays modify the properties of glass, making them more resistant.
«This research," explains Giulio Monaco, professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy (Dfa) at the University of Padua, and head of the Erc Glaxes project, under which the research was conducted, "represents a first step towards the development of radiation-resistant glass, a feature that could promote the use of the unique characteristics of glass in various applications where they are not yet used. For example, glass in such a state could be the optimal choice for all applications where materials need to maintain their properties in particularly harsh environmental conditions, such as in space applications. Indeed, every object sent into space, from satellites to space probes, is constantly exposed to continuous irradiation from cosmic particles, which can cause damage and compromise the functioning of many instruments, limiting their lifespan».
«Although glass is ubiquitous in our daily lives," explains Jacopo Baglioni, from the Dfa and first author of the research, "the description of their properties and, more generally, of the glass transition remains one of the most complex problems in the physics of matter. Their experimental and computational study is particularly difficult because their characteristics depend greatly on the production process used, which generally does not happen with crystalline materials. This is also why the knowledge about glass is much less developed than that of crystals».
Using a new experimental apparatus, the research groups involved in this project have demonstrated that all glasses, regardless of the preparation method, reach a state with unique properties when irradiated with X-rays for a sufficiently long time.
It is particularly relevant that this state is stationary: once reached, its properties no longer change even in the presence of continuous exposure to high-energy radiation.
These results suggest that irradiation modifies the way glass responds to external stimuli. Glasses, which are initially fragile materials, as anyone who has broken a glass knows well, become ductile materials like plastic once they have been appropriately irradiated. Irradiated-treated glasses are therefore of evident general interest in all applications where a plastic response to mechanical stress is required.
